


pleasure before business

by alexanderlightweight



Series: Words of October 2019 [12]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Is So Done, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Wings, Contracts, M/M, Magnus Bane is a Little Shit, Shadowhunters Are Idiots, Smitten at First Sight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 18:36:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20912225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexanderlightweight/pseuds/alexanderlightweight
Summary: Magnus hadn't actually meant for the Shadowhunter to sign the contract.  It was hardly his fault that education was lacking for these young, temperamental and impatient nephilim or that the art of bartering was lost on them.  Honestly, what kind of idiot accepted the first offer given and didn't even try to negotiate?





	pleasure before business

**Author's Note:**

> written for the 4th day of fictober "I know you didn't ask for this" and posted before the 3rd because reasons.

“You come here without an appointment, demand my services and are unable to offer any form of payment?” Magnus asked the Shadowhunters before him, his tone dangerously low and magic sparking from his fingers as he stared at the Shadowhunters before him. 

“You stole Clary’s memories!” The brash, blond Shadowhunter said and the redhead next to him gave a firm nod and glared. “You owe her them back!”

“Clarissa Fray’s memories were taken from her at the request of her mother.” At this rate, Magnus felt like an old record stuck in a loop, it was not a flattering experience whatsoever. 

“But they’re my memories.” Clarissa interrupted and Magnus sighed and took a languid sip of his drink. Shadowhunters, bratty demanding children the entire lot of them.

“And yet, at the time your mother was your legal guardian and I rendered a service as she was within her legal rights, albeit perhaps not moral ones, to make that choice.”

That stumped them both and finally the blond one stepped forward, “what do you want? In return for the memories, we brought the necklace.”

“As that necklace was mine to begin with, I'll consider it’s rightful return to me a significant enough gesture that I’ll overlook you barging into my club without permission and wasting my time. It will not however, count as payment for the arduous task of returning memories, here Magnus gave a little smirk. “That will cost you something else.”

“We want Clary’s memories back, I’ll pay any price for it.” 

Magnus raised a brow and smirked, these young reckless Shadowhunters never did learn. “I have a few spells I’m interested in perfecting, I’ve always wanted to trial run them but never had a willing subject.”

“What kind of spells?” 

“Mostly healing, some glamour and tracking to name a few. Nothing overtly dangerous.”

“And you need someone to test them on?”

“A winged nephilim specifically,” Magnus let that settle, saw the slight panic cross the blond’s face and the confusion on Clarissa’s. “They’d have to stay with me a bit.” And that made him smirk because a nephilim, especially one of their precious winged soldiers staying with a warlock was more than blasphemous. 

“Done.” The blond said and nodded as if his agreement were enough.

“I will not be invaded by nephilim,” Magnus added mildly, “so expect to say your goodbyes to miss Fray for a short time. I’ll take a blood oath as well.”

“I can’t leave Clary! I have to protect her.”

“The choice is yours, you know what I want.” Magnus was also more than willing to negotiate down to some historical texts that he’d been itching to get his hands on. Bartering was a lengthy game and while his demanded price was unusually outrageous he wanted to see this arrogant Shadowhunter panic a bit. Wanted him to understand how futile his demands were, that Magnus wasn’t cowed by his self-importance.

He offered a contract with a flourish of his hand and waited for the counter offer. Depending on how decent it was, he might not even leave them in too much suspense before suggesting the books as payment.

Instead of arguing, the blond took a look at the contract, barely reading the first few lines and then with a pained but brashly determined look, nicked his finger on one of his angelic blades and before Magnus could overcome his disbelief and stop him, let his blood drip down on the paper.

Magnus blinked, glamour flickering and then scowled. There was absolutely no way he was putting up with this Shadowhunter in his home. 

“Just like that?” He asked dryly while considering how to incinerate the contract, “what happened to being the only one who could protect Miss Fairchild.”

“I have a parabatai,” it was spoken with pride and also an edge of guilt. Although Magnus supposed that if the blond would trust anyone to look after Clarissa it would be his parabatai. “He’ll go with you.” 

Magnus blinked, and noted that Clarissa looked relieved. “You didn’t ask his consent.”

“He’s my parabatai.”

“Than I truly pity him,” Magnus muttered and deliberately refrained from pinching the bridge of his nose. 

_ Fine.  _

He would consider this a reminder that Shadowhunters were just as idiotic as ever and use it as a dramatic way to teach them a short, but important lesson. He’d meet this parabatai, intimidate him a bit and impart the importance of not making decisions - _ like bonding ones soul with another _ \- while still an adolescent. Then he would renegotiate, destroy the contract and send them all on their merry way, memories intact and with the books firmly in his possession.

-

A knock sounded on Magnus’ door and he stopped in front of the mirror, pausing to check that his outfit was sufficiently dramatic enough. Between his makeup, the silver strands through his hair, the jewelry and his shirt open to his naval, he had a feeling that whatever nephilim had been sent to him would be properly scandalized. With a snap of his fingers the lights dimmed ominously, candles flickering in the breeze from the open balcony doors and the cauldron of shampoo in his apothecary bubbling over, filling the room with the slightest of scented mists. 

_ There. Surely that would do. _

Magnus let his glamour drop as he opened the door and stopped, staring in shock at the man in front of him. Angelic was too simple a word to describe him and suddenly, Magnus felt like he’d severely miscalculated how this was going to go.

-

Alec had been all set to immediately stand his ground, make his stance clear and set the boundaries that Jace had failed to. At first, Alec had been furious at whatever warlock had trapped Jace into such a contract. Until Clary had accidentally let it slip that not only had Jace promised anything, he hadn’t even tried to negotiate and then had offered Alec up like some sort of bartered good.

That had changed Alec’s perspective and his tone. Technically, despite Jace’s proclamations otherwise, he couldn’t  _ actually _ exchange Alec in return for services rendered. Since that didn’t seem to be clear to him, Alec was going to make it clear. To both the warlock and his parabatai. 

He’d decided that for once, Jace was going to actually face the consequences of his actions. Alec wasn’t going to bail Jace out of this mess and take the brunt of it on himself and he was going to make that very clear to everyone involved in this fiasco. 

Such a declaration was on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be said as he knocked on the penthouse door. At least it was, until the door opened and he got his first look of the warlock that Clary claimed had tricked them and oh, what a stunning look it was. Alec had never seen someone so beautiful in his entire life and he was fairly certain that he never would again, he swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

“I’m Magnus,” the man said after a moment of shared silence and his lips curled into a delightful smile, his voice smoother than honey and Alec was suddenly hungry to hear it again. “As we haven’t been formally introduced, in fact. I don’t even know your name.” He offered his hand and Alec took it unthinkingly, let himself be pulled into the room and he couldn’t help how his own lips echoed that sweet smile.

“Alec,” he said and then turned to take in the warlock’s lair and his heart stuttered. 

The lights were dim and comforting, a stark relief from the harsh lights of the Operational rooms that Alec suffered through daily. Instead of smelling harsh and clean and sterile, there was a seductive scent in the air and he inhaled a little deeper, drinking more of it in. A breeze blew through the room, ruffling his hair and cooling his heated cheeks and Alec was filled with the sudden and overwhelmingly wish that this was a date. 

“Something to drink?” Magnus said and with a flourish of magic he held two glasses and offered one, flickering with blue fire to Alec. “I think we should discuss this, just the two of us. After all, I know you didn’t ask for this and I have opinions about that.”

“Right, the contract.” Alec mumbled and he took a sip of his drink to distract himself, unable to help how his face scrunched in distaste at the sudden burn. 

“I tell you what. I destroy this,” Magnus twirled his fingers and summoned the contract to his hand, “you stay for dinner and a few drinks and we can discuss proper terms and payment for returning memories, as reasonable people do.”

Alec almost said yes and then paused, taking another sip of his drink. His hope that Magnus hadn't witnessed his distaste at the drink was burst as this second sip filled his mouth with a new flavor, fresh and sweet and less harsh. He couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed however and then he shook his head.

“No,” he said and when Magnus frowned he hurried to correct himself, “I mean yes. But don’t destroy the contract. What Jace did was stupid and irresponsible and I need him to understand that. We should talk, have dinner,” his voice stuttered over the word, “but what he signed can’t actually bind me. That’s not how parabatai bonds work, he should have known that.” 

“Oh, well then.” Magnus let the contract fade and Alec watched the graceful turn of his hands and the blue wisps that accompanied the movement, “so you’re here of your own free will? No pesky magical bindings or fears of consequences?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I do hate to talk business on an empty stomach,” Magnus said and once again Alec took his offered hand, sparks shooting through him at the touch. “After all, pleasure before business ensures everyone has a good time.” 

Alec couldn’t help letting out a small, relieved chuckle and he felt that maybe this wouldn’t end in disaster after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Perception is a Thing™️. I loved the idea of Magnus wanting to be suitably dramatic and intimidating and Alec is just like 'wow. man of my dreams! oh shit mood lighting, what is that scent it smells so good. fuck he's hot. is this a date? can this be a date? he's so gorgeous and he remade my drink so id like it. marry me.'
> 
> I'm on tumblr as [alexanderlightweight](https://alexanderlightweight.tumblr.com)


End file.
